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May 27, 2021
Dear UBS colleagues,
 This is my 31st year as General Secretary. I thank God for the privilege and blessing this ministry has been to me over all those years! Even though I am grateful to God for giving me good health, it is time for me to hand over this responsibility since I was born the same year the UBS was established!!
FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS
In 1990 the Bible Society of Egypt consisted of 17 staff members, one office, and 3 bookshops. Today our team numbers more than 220. They faithfully serve in 8 branch offices and 17 bookshops across the nation, supplied by 7 warehouses. Before we related to just a handful of churches. Today those churches number more than 2,000. An annual Bible Sunday is held in more than 900 of them across the country.
This incredible growth comes through God’s amazing grace and through the increased vitality of the Egyptian Church, which believes in, and extensively uses, the Holy Scriptures in her many growing ministries. We have never needed to promote our products! Rather, we have striven to continually meet the demand of the Church for creative Scripture materials and Bible engagement programs.
HANDOVER
On June 1, I will officially hand over all managerial and administrative responsibilities, but will continue as a volunteer “Senior Advisor”. This will include a representative role with friends of the Bible Society in and out of Egypt, as well as a mentorship role within our staff and with younger Egyptian Christian leaders. I will move to a small office within our building and continue going a couple of times a week.
This is not as big a change as it may seem. For the past many years, I have had very few managerial responsibilities and have acted more as a coach for our remarkably gifted Directors. I delegated to them responsibilities for their tasks and complete authority to act within the scope of those responsibilities.
SUCCESS REQUIRES SUCCESSORS
In the 1970’s I wrote an article about the successful transition of leadership. I said: “The success of a leader should be measured by how well the ministry continues after he or she is gone”. Throughout the intervening years of both successes and failures, it has been a driving principle to ensure this would happen at the Bible Society.
So, this is not a “good-bye” letter. It is the announcement of a formal transition that has been carefully prayed over, thoroughly planned, and has already begun.
 Amir Elhamy, our current Deputy General Secretary, who has overseen our Publishing Department, will now become the new General Secretary. Many of you know Amir since he has been attending UBS meetings for the past ten years. Alongside him is a remarkable team of gifted, competent leaders, each of whom is God’s special gift to this ministry. Collectively they form the “successors” I will leave behind under Amir’s leadership.
Please join the whole Bible Society of Egypt team in prayer for a smooth transition.
With thanks to God,
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